10 things you may not know about Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Reese's has become synonymous with chocolate-y peanut butter treats. In addition to being delicious, they're also quite fascinating.

Here are 10 things you may not know about them:

10. Reese's Pieces weren't the first choice snack for E.T. If Spielberg had gotten what he really wanted, the beloved extra-terrestrial would have been chowing down on M&Ms. The company that makes them turned the offer down, paving the way for the pieces rise to fame.

9. When it comes to holidays, they've got you covered. For all four of the big sweets holidays like Christmas, Halloween, Easter, and Valentine's Day, they offer specially shaped candy. Bells, pumpkins, eggs, and hearts are among the forms often available.

8. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are a good source of protein. A standard serving packs five grams of it, about the equivalent of a handful of almonds or a half a cup of chickpeas.

7. Half-pound cups are available. They're sold in a two pack and each is about the size of an apple. Sharing is recommended.

6. It took about 90 years for them to reach Japan. For some time, the only way to buy them there was at US Army bases, but a couple of years ago the Japanese outpost of Wal-Mart started stocking them. The only real difference between those and the ones sold in America is the omission of a preservative not permitted in the country.

5. Way back when, they were called "penny cups." The peanut butter confections were given the name because that was the going price per piece. They proved so popular that creator Harry Burnett Reese was able to quit his job at the Hershey Chocolate Company and focus on setting up his own empire.

4. How does a 230-pound peanut butter cup sound? If you said like a record-setter, you could be right. It's believed to be the largest one ever made, measuring 5-feet across and drenched in over 70 pounds of chocolate.

3. There's such a thing as a spreadable Reese's. It comes in a jar and the label pretty much tells it like it is. The product's official name is "Reese's Spreads," and it is available in the classic peanut butter chocolate flavor.

2. A Reese's cup is probably one of an Arachibutyrophobiac's greatest fears. The disorder is described as being intensely fearful of having peanut butter stick to the roof of the mouth. Sufferers are unlikely the type to stock up on the candy.

1. Great things happen when classic snacks join forces. One of the more brilliant examples is the partnership between Reese's and the makers of Oreo cookies. Together, they made Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Oreos a reality, even if only for a short time.